Sound Off: What piece of technology can you not imagine doing business without and why?
A: I have a few favorites: Docusign, Disclosures IO and Glide
Docusign has simply transformed signing documents online. Real estate is extremely paper heavy with sales contracts, addenda, disclosures, offer letters and everything requires signatures. The amount of time saved, not to mention trees, is extraordinary. It’s simple to navigate, secure and super easy to use.
Disclosures IO allows me digitalize and organize the long list of disclosures required by sellers to provide to buyers. Some condo disclosures can be as large as 500 pages, imagine handing that to a perspective buyer. The digital link is shared with buyers and their agents, which allows them to download any/all documents directly to their laptop.
Lastly, Glide. This software tool allows me to quickly and efficiently guide my clients through disclosure forms. Disclosure forms consist of multiple questionnaires, which can be confusing to complete. In the past, the practice was to meet in person to execute everything. Now I can send the forms clear across country and finish everything within an hour. My clients have commented how simple it is use and appreciate the streamlined process.
A: There are several (besides the MLS) that I must tout.
DocuSign: secure and legally-enforceable signing software, which speeds the whole process enormously. I can get signatures in minutes, and there’s rock-solid chain of custody and proof of delivery, just in case.
disclosures.io: SF-grown startup that hosts, organizes and distributes your required disclosures, with tracking and internal DocuSign. Yes, that’s the URL.
ZipForms: has all the forms a Realtor needs, up to date, searchable and pre-populated with repeating data, such as buyer’s name.
My iMac, MacBook, iPhone and iPad all play important roles in my business, and they are seamlessly integrated. Apple software, including Previews, Pages, Numbers, Photos and Quicktime, empowers me to work with voluminous documentation, capture and share images, write marketing copy and sort data in spreadsheets.
Apple apps such as Messages, FaceTime and Mail keep me in constant touch with my clients.
A: I cannot imagine doing my job without the assistance of DocuSign. It is one of the most singularly important pieces of technology that exists in the execution of contracts in real estate.
Every real estate transaction involves an incredible number of official documents that need to be signed on both sides - home sales and home purchases.
We have thousands upon thousands of documents that go between my office and buyers and sellers every year. It would be next to impossible for me to show properties, deal with clients and to personally meet everyone that is a party to those documents to execute them as was done in the “old days.”
You can literally purchase a home in Marin County from a boat in the Caribbean with DocuSign. What an incredible invention.
Tracy McLaughlin, The Agency, 415-699-6680, tracy@tracymclaughlin.com.